March 27, 2011.

Aloha!

How is everyone? I am doing well here. This week we had specialized training in Barrie on Wednesday and Thursday. It was kind of like the leadership conferences I have talked about in the past. We were taught from on high about how to help our investigators and how to become better missionaries. Missions are so great because they really do prepare you for the eternities. There will always be more to learn, but I am grateful for what I have learned am currently learning.

We taught a new investigator this week named Harjit. Her family is Sikh and she is from India. She wasn't able to come to church on Sunday but she is really great. She wants to learn about Jesus Christ and when we asked her if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized, she said "Yes, I'll follow." We didn't meet with Paige or Kelly last week but we will this week. Kelly came to church but there are a lot of issues going on with her family right now and it is making it difficult to teach.

General Conference is this week!!!!!!!!!!!! That is SO exciting! Do you want to know what else is way exciting?!?! I get to go to the temple this Friday for the first time since I've been on my mission in Canada! It has always worked out before that during temple trips, I was in areas too far away to go. I am so grateful for the temple, the Lord's House, the place of peace and rest. It means everything to me. I invite all of you who are able to go to the temple this week in preparation of hearing our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I know that this will change your experience of watching General Conference.

I love you all and pray that you have a wonderful week. I am excited to hear about your favorite parts of conference, the temple, and your neat missionary experiences!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

March 21, 2011.

Happy Spring!!!!!

Is there sunshine in your soul today? :) Hehehe. There isn't sunshine here today. It is very foggy, but it is warming up a little bit. It's funny because now when it is about 10 degrees C, it feels like we should be wearing short-sleeved shirts. It's nice not to have to scrape the windows of the car. This was an interesting week. It doesn't seem like much happened, but it was still a fun week. Our two investigators, Kelly and Paige, were MIA. We couldn't get ahold of either of them all week, so we didn't teach them. We will continue to try to call and drop by. I don't know where Paige is, but Kelly had a death in the family, so she doesn't really want to talk to anyone right now. We'll see what happens.

Last night we had a mission president's fireside and President Brower spoke. It was so great. All of the missionaries sang the EFY medley "As Sisters In Zion/Army of Helaman" at the end. Before President Brower spoke, I sang a duet with an Elder in my district. It was really great. I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I have had to invite the Spirit through music on my mission. I want to continue to do so for the rest of my life (and eternity for that matter :D).

My companions and I were at the church next to the temple and we saw lots of people at the temple. Figuring it was a wedding, of course we drove over there to check it out (we're sisters, what do you expect? :D). In driving up to the temple, I gasped as I saw some of my favorite people ever - The Jenners from North Bay! It was so good to see them again! I love them all.

I read a great talk this morning called "O Ye That Embark" by President Henry B. Eyring from October 2008 General Conference. He says: "The more faithful service you give, the more the Lord asks of you...He increases our power to carry the heavier load...For Him to give you that increased power, you must go in service and faith to your outer limits." Sometimes we think that we will be able to rest from our callings someday. "When I'm not on a mission, I won't be as stressed out." "When I'm done with school, I will have a lot more time to do the things I want to do." Anyone who had gone through these two examples would disagree with both statements! That is the great thing about the "Lord's rest." The Lord's rest is not rest at all! Yes, it is rest from your troubles and sorrow. But when we are in the Lord's rest, we are VERY busy. There is much work to do in this life and the next. We do not rest from scripture study, prayer, church, or being obedient to His commandments. We do not take breaks from things necessary for our salvation. As President Eyring says "We will find joy in going wherever the Lord would have us serve." How grateful I am for the Lord's Church, which helps us to become who Father knows we can become. We have the opportunity to do the Lord's work so that we can truly be in the Lord's rest! Incredible :)

This week I am looking forward to traveling to Barrie (about 1 1/2 hours away) to go to specialized training with the Brampton and Barrie zones. This is like the Leadership Training I have had in the past, but a smaller group. I'm excited. Have a wonderful week and enjoy spring! I love you all so much!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

March 14, 2011.

Good Morning!

What a great week! I don't know where to begin. I will begin with talking about my investigators. We taught Paige twice this week. She is progressing well, but we still don't have her set for baptism. She is reading the Book of Mormon consistently now and learning a lot. We have a new investigator, named Kelly, who we started teaching this week. She came to church with her recent convert brother Chris last Sunday and that is where we met her. We have taught her twice and she came to Stake Conference yesterday. She is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In her second lesson, she opened up a bit more and it was amazing. She told us that after we left the first time, she tried praying. Not believing in God, this was quite strange to her. She said that she just felt good and kept saying "God is God." We watched "Finding Faith in Christ" with her during our second lesson and she said that she felt really good while watching it. Sister Worley sat with Kelly at Stake Conference and Kelly said that she feels that this is true! It is so incredible to watch someone gain a testimony of truth through the Holy Ghost instead of trying to do it through intillect. Kelly is set for baptism on April 10th! We are really excited to teach her tomorrow night.

You will see some pictures here of our little present for President Brower. We saw this tie in the dollar store and knew that we had to buy it for President Brower. He laughed so hard when we gave it to him and promised to wear it on Thursday for the Leadership Conference in Kitchener. I am really excited.





Stake Conference was so incredible this weekend. The theme was Mosiah 4:16, about succoring (helping) those who stand in need of succor. There were wonderful talks about helping lift those in need. Here was one of my favorite things that was said by a recently returned missionary: "In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ paved the path to happiness; if you are not happy, what path are you on?" I also loved a talk given by Sister Barber, the Stake Patriarch's wife. She spoke about temples and said that "we need to find our way back to the temple so that we can find our way back to God." I had many insights from the Spirit, one during a talk by Sister Dalziel. She spoke about how President Monson called for senior couple missionaries over five times in the last six months. Honestly, I never really wanted to go on a senior couple mission because I didn't want to leave my family and grandkids. For the first time ever, I can say that I will serve a mission later in my life. The sacrifice of doing so is small compared to the blessings received for my posterity and myself. I love the senior missionaries in my mission so much. They are all incredible examples and are so strong. There is no better way to live than in the service of my Father :)

I will leave you all with an amazing quote. I don't know if I've shared it before, but it is one of my favorites. Heber J. Grant said "The unbelief of all the world cannot change a truth." This is especially true on a mission. Truth is unchanging. It is constant. The truth is that there is a God. He loves us. His Son, Jesus Christ died for us. He is the way. "He is the Light and the Life of the world; yeah, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death" (Mosiah 16:9). I love my Savior. Thank you for your testimonies and being the wonderful people that you are! Have a wonderful week!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Sister Barton

March 7, 2011.

Hello Hello :)

How was your first week of March? It was great here in B-town. I hit my nine month mark this week! It has been so much fun being in a triple. Sister Worley is so funny and also an amazing missionary. She is so understanding and loving. I'm grateful for my companions. We went to that interfaith conference that I mentioned in my last e-mail. Honestly, we didn't really do much. Most of the women there were Muslim and it was neat to talk to some of them. They are all beautiful. Some of them took Book of Mormons and there is a YSA age girl who wants to come to church! We heard different views about marriage from Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There was good food after too (of course I would mention that!). It was a neat experience.

Paige came to church again this week! We taught her last week and the lesson went really well. The Spirit was present in the room. We tried to set her for a date for baptism, but she said no. Her fellowshipper later told us that it scared her when we did that. It's hard to know how to help people sometimes and resolve their concerns. We will be teaching her tonight before Family Home Evening. We met six of the sister missionaries from the other mission before church and it was fun to see the sisters we could possibly serve with in the future, when the missions combine in July!

Hmm...this is probably my shortest e-mail ever. We have been working closely with President Brower this week to get help for a friend, so that has taken up the majority of our time. I am excited to work hard this week and find more people to teach. Oh yeah, I had stake choir practice last night and it was really fun. We are singing some great songs and it makes me so happy to be in a choir again. It is probably the best church choir I have ever heard. I played football for sports again this morning. I caught the winning touchdown pass from clear across the gym (the person throwing it was actually on the BYU football team before his mission). It was pretty neat. I have been reading the Ensign each month and it has been really rewarding. I find that so many of the articles are writting for me :). There are great lessons to learn from our leaders in the Church. I am so grateful for a prophet on the earth today and for the guidance and counsel we receive from God through them. Revelation has not ceased. Our Father has loads of knowledge to give us if we will but listen! I am looking forward to General Conference in a few weeks!

Have a wonderful week :) Know that I love you all so much. Keep strengthening your faith and your relationships. Choose to be happy! I am grateful for my Savior who has provided the way for us all to return to our Father.

Love,

Sister Barton :)

February 28, 2011.

Is it really almost March!?!?!?!

That is so strange. This year is flying by. Well, biggest news first. We got transfer calls last night and Sister Brack and I will be staying in Brampton and serving in a triple with Sister Worley! I am SO excited. I love Sister Worley. She's really funny and a great missionary. I have a feeling this area is going to explode and the work will be so great this transfer. Sister Worley started her mission here in Brampton last February so she knows the ins and outs of the city ;)

One of the highlights of my week was going with some members to a place called Akita Sushi (a member signed up to feed us and because she is YSA, we went out to eat). It was the neatest place. We sat at our table and it was all you can eat. You pay a flat fee and they only other thing you have to pay for is if you don't finish some of your food, you pay for what you didn't eat. But with six of us, we all ate everything and it was so fun. I will admit, I did eat a fried shrimp AND a sweet potato sushi (remember, I do not like seafood at all). The shrimp wasn't too bad, dipped in the sauce and with all the fried stuff on it :). The sushi, however, is another story. I put the whole thing in my mouth and I struggled to eat it because I almost threw up. All of the girls I were with were saying "you can spit it out, don't torture yourself." I think it's an accomplishment! Haha. We ate ice cream and fried bananas for dessert. It was so fun. I hope there are places like that in Utah when I get home.

We got a call a few days ago from the secretary in the stake Relief Society Presidency. She asked us to have a display at a multi-faith conference this coming weekend called "Preserving the sanctity of marriage according to my faith." There will be muslims, buddhists, and all sorts of different religious women there. It will be a really neat experience and I will for sure attach pictures next week.

Paige came to church yesterday!!!! Wahoo! Also, after church, there were THREE baptisms, which apparently is the most this ward has ever had at once. I sang a duet of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" with a friend from the ward and the Spirit was strong. Paige was there for the baptisms too and she told her friend Jacq (a member in the ward) that she wants to be baptized even more now! We will be teaching her on Wednesday and hope to set her for a baptismal date so she can begin to receive all of the wonderful blessings Father has to give her :). I am so happy for her.

I started the Book of Mormon over and have been reading quickly, marking all the references to Christ, God, Lord, etc. In just a few days, I was already into 2 Nephi and now I am on page 86 or something like that. It is really neat to read it, focusing on Christ and His many names. After I finish it this time, then I will go through again, marking all of the commandments, then the blessings. I don't know how I was so blessed to be born at this time in the world where we have such truth, but I will be forever grateful.

I am grateful for all of my brothers and sisters...meaning the whole world. I learn so much as I contact individuals on the streets. They all have such unique views on life, God, experiences, etc. I learn from each person and it really is incredible how much good there is on the earth. One man last night taught me a lot about love. He had a few crazy ideas, but he really emphasized the importance of love. I LOVE this Gospel. I love each of you. I love my Savior. I pray that you can each pray for and act upon the promptings you have to share your love for others. This can come in the form of missionary work, service, smiling, writing a note, giving a hug, etc. I found out at church yesterday that one of my best friends in the ward here is going through a difficult trial and I can definitely relate. I actually struggled to work last night because I could feel her pain and it overwhelmed me to the point of tears. We, as humans, are all separate beings, but we can be connected if we will allow ourselves to be. The Spirit will bridge the gaps between our weaknesses and shortcomings and allow us to be unified. If we ask with a sincere heart and do everything we know to be pure, Heavenly Father will allow us to see His children through His eyes. We are each others angels, and I have witnessed that multiple times on my mission. I don't know if any of that made sense, but those are just some of my scattered thoughts. It's hard to write in words the things that the Spirit teaches you.

Have a wonderful week! May God be with you all as you give Him your heart and your will to follow Him. I love you all!

Love,
Sister Barton :)

February 22, 2011.

Happy Family Day yesterday!

It was Family Day here in Canada (hence the reason I didn't e-mail yesterday). It was so neat to see families all outside ice skating. Much of the city was closed. I think this should be a holiday in America. After all, family is pretty much the best thing ever invented ;). I love my family and am blessed to have so many people to be with.

The weather has been up and down this week. On Thursday, it was +9 degrees C (48.2 F) and I thought it was a nice summer day! The only problem was the tornado wind! It is so windy in Brampton. Today it is -14 C (6.8 F), so it's absolutely freezing. Winter is more than halfway over though! I hear that March is a lot like February here.

I can't think of any experience in particular this week. I had many good lessons with investigators and members. Shantel, who we have taught twice now, found out some unexpected news. She had been sick for a couple weeks so she kept cancelling appointments. Well, when we went to teach her on Saturday, she told us that she is pregnant! She is 18 years old and her boyfriend is 17 years old and they are both in high school. Although it was a shock, when you think about it, this is the perfect time for her to learn about the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families! I know that to be true. It has blessed me personally with the ability to love more and have gratitude for my loved ones. That's something I have been thinking about lately. I don't think I would have ever realized how immensely I love and appreciate my family. I think a lot of it is because I am away and so I realize what I miss.

Rina, the older woman we are teaching, went to church for the second time on Sunday and is doing so well! We are teaching her today with a senior missionary couple and will be passing her off to the elders. She has already read nearly half of the Book of Mormon and is full of so much faith. She prays constantly and is doing all she can to get an answer from Heavenly Father to know if this is the true church. I know that she will receive that answer, as promised by Moroni and the Lord. I finished the Book of Mormon this morning in personal study. It is the greatest book ever. I am going to start it again tomorrow with a new copy (the blue missionary ones we give to people) and with a new marking system. I know I will learn a lot as I rely on the Spirit to teach me. I read an article in this month's Ensign this morning called "Revelation: Pouring Down from Heaven," and in it, the author says: "A testimony grows line upon line, but it doesn't have to be a slow process. There is a flood of revelation available." I know this is true. We learn little by little, but we can also learn quickly as we master each principle we learn.

It is the last week of this transfer already! Can you believe it? I am almost positive Sister Brack and I will both stay in Brampton another transfer, so there probably won't be news about that next week. I got permission to be in the stake choir for stake conference and we are singing some great songs. I am so grateful for each of you in my life, family and friends! Each of you has divine worth. This week, pray for and act upon an opportunity to share your testimony with someone, serve someone, invite someone to learn from the missionaries, etc. We truly are blessed as we come unto Him who made life possible!

I love you all!
Sister Barton :)

February 15, 2011.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!!!

From the e-mails I have received, it sounds like it was a great day down in the states! :) It was good here too. I even got flowers (okay, so they were from my mission president's wife, but still...:D). Wow, where did last week go? Where are all of the weeks going? I don't have much time to write about my whole week, but I will start from Saturday. Saturday was a miracle day! First of all, Sister Brack and I went to the dentist. It was a dental hygene/assistant school and on that particular day it was free, so the mission scheduled appointments for the missionaries. We were there nearly three hours because of the long wait. After lunch we had a lesson with a boy named Navdeep. We met him earlier last week and he said that he had been to church once last year. We taught him the first lesson and committed him to be baptized on March 6. The Spirit was present and it was so great. Saturday night, we met with a boy named Rivon. Some of the elders talked to him at a bus stop earlier that week and referred him to us. We ended up teaching Rivon and his mom, Dena, about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. The lesson was so amazing. They both committed to come to church, read the Book of Mormon, pray, and be baptized (not on a specific date yet). Sister Brack and I went home and felt like we were in the clouds. There was a possibility of seven people coming to church (to our ward and to others' wards) due to much of our efforts (and the Holy Ghost of course).

Our highs of Saturday soon turned to our lows of Sunday. The first phone call in the morning was Shantel saying that she was sick and couldn't come to church. Our ward mission leader found rides for Rivon and Navdeep and spoke to both of them. They both said they wanted to come. After that, he tried calling each of them again and there was no answer. I guess the person giving the rides didn't go to pick them up because they weren't answering the phone. We had no investigators at church, but it was still a great Sabbath. One of the Ap's investigators that we had taught a couple of times was baptized after church, so that was great. One of the best parts of the day was learning that one of our investigators, Rina, went to church in one of the Brampton wards. We are teaching an older lady until we can pass her off to the Elders (sometimes Sisters can get into homes easier than Elders, so the Elders asked if we would teach her). She is AMAZING and has been looking for a church for 25 years. She is about half-way done with the Book of Mormon in less than two weeks. We will be going to teach her tomorrow and I can hardly wait to hear how she liked church.

The other best part about Sunday was that I got to see all of the sister missionaries and spend time with them. It was so much fun. We laughed so hard. We went out to eat yesterday. We got to spend a lot of time with Sister Brower too. I cannot believe Sister Olsen and Sister Rigby go home in less than two weeks. That is so strange. Two new sisters are coming out though, so that will be exciting.

The best news of last week is that my sister Julie had her sweet little baby! I love him already and it's hard to believe that he will be almost a year old when I get home! I am so happy for their little family. Have a wonderful week! Trust in the Lord. Heavenly Father gives you specific experiences in your life at specific times to teach you specific lessons :) Trust in Him through the good times and the hard times! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Barton

February 7, 2011.

Another month in the new year!

Wow, we're already into February!?! Can you believe it? This week has been great. There are a couple of adventures of the week that I'm excited to share. I will start with one that really has no relevance, but maybe somebody will get a good laugh. On Saturday, Sister Brack and I were walking through a parking garage to get to the other side. You know those gates that can close off a road (just imagine if you don't know what I'm talking about :D)? Well, I was walking quickly, behind Sister Brack, and was looking up, not paying any attention to where I was walking. Next thing I know, I walked straight into a horizontal, metal bar on the gate. The pain was SO bad! I am so blessed that the injury is a few inches above my knee cap, because it would have shattered my knee. I have a baseball size goose egg and bruise on my leg and can barely walk right now. I just started kneeling to pray again this morning because it hurt too much the past couple of days. Lesson learned: pay attention to your surroundings :)

We found a new investigator!!!!! Her name is Shantel and she is SO amazing. We met her at a bus stop two weeks ago (I may have mentioned her in my last e-mail). We taught her at her house for the first time this week and the Spirit was so strong. She is 18 years old and still in high school. She just decided a few weeks ago to start going to church and feels like it is a sign that we met her at this time. She is very happy and nice. She doesn't know much about God or religion, but wants to learn. We taught her about the restoration of the gospel and taught very simply. We explained words like "repent" and "agency." When I recited Joseph Smith's first vision, she said that she had goosebumps. When I got to the part where Heavenly Father says "This is my Beloved Son, hear Him," Shantel gasped and then got a huge smile on her face. At the end of the lesson, she handed me back the Book of Mormon and I told her it was hers. She was full of joy and was so grateful to have the words of God. We committed her to baptism (not a specific date yet) and to come to church this Sunday. I am grateful for the Lord's hand in this work. He has gone before us, not just as missionaries, but as members. He has prepared people all around us that we can share our testimonies with, but it is up to us to be in tune with the Spirit enough to recognize those people.

The way home from Shantel's was pretty scary. It wasn't snowing at all when we got there but it dumped about a foot in an hour and a half. We just drove slowly and were fine. It's beautiful outside when it's snowing. We got to have a sister sleepover last night! Sister Evanson (my last companion in North Bay), Sister Brandley (one of my MTC companions), and Sister Cheng (my one-week companion from Hong Kong), slept over because Sister Cheng had a chinese missionary conference at the mission home. It was so fun to be with some of my best friends. Missions are so great.

I will leave you with this thought from Sacrament Meeting yesterday: Having a testimony is the greatest shield you have in life eternal. Nobody will ever take my testimony away from me. A testimony is a gift and needs nourishment. If we do not feed our spirits, our testimonies will fall away. Look at the prophet Alma the Younger from the Book of Mormon. Yes, he saw an angel, which gave him a great awakening, but it wasn't until he prayed and fasted (Alma 5) that he knew the gospel is true. The witness of the Holy Ghost, which comes as we pray, fast, read, ponder, etc. is far stronger than sight. I am so grateful for faith. I am grateful that we are not left to rely on sight only to know truth. God is real. He is here with us. If we have faith enough, we will recognize Him in all. I met a man this week who told me "If you don't see God in all, then you don't see God at all." Look for God in all you do this week. I love you all!

Love,
Sister Barton :)

January 31, 2011.

Hello Hello!

Wow, this transfer is already flying by! First of all, I will tell some news that I just got as I logged onto my e-mail this morning. In June this year, the Toronto East and West missions will reunite as they were decades ago! Crazy, eh? So President Brower will be the mission president for the Canada Toronto Mission! That means I may have the opportunity to serve in the actual city of Toronto and the eastern part of Ontario! That will be a fun change for the last six months or so of my mission. For now, I will soak in my West Mission :) (I'm not too fond of change haha).

Yesterday we had ward conference and it was so great! I prayed for Heavenly Father to teach me from on high and to learn from the Spirit as I listened to others speak. It was a great Sabbath day. The sun was shining. We had a baptism after church for an investigator that the assistants were teaching from Brampton. His name is Kevin and he is so amazing. His friend from school inviteed him to learn from the missionaries and just a few weeks later, Kevin was baptized! He told me after "I feel good. I feel good." The gospel truly does bring joy. Sister Brack and I wore matching sweaters to church that we bought last week. It was pretty cool ;D

We taught a guy named Sagar from India last night and we will be meeting with him again on Saturday. We teach many lessons on the street, but are just struggling with finding new investigators. We have new resolutions to work even harder this week and to strive each day to be exactly obedient. I know that the Lord will bless us. It's His promise, as given in D&C 82:10.

I have also attached a picture of me praying with my friend Penelope, Penny for short.

She was given to me from a member and great friend in London. Penelope likes to pray with me. Sister Olsen was given a frog and named him Hamlet. Fun facts about the life of a missionary:) (don't judge the doggie paw pajamas!).

Anyway, I love being a missionary. I am grateful to be serving in this part of the Lord's vineyard, which is soon to be a lot bigger in June. Thank you for your support and testimonies. I know that God lives. Christ will help us if we will but open our hearts and let Him in. Have a wonderful week! Pray and seek for missionary opportunities! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

January 24, 2011.

BBRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Let me just start by explaining my cold night of finding last night. Yesterday, we woke up to a bright, sunny, COLD morning of -20 degrees C, with a windchill of -37 C!!!! As we started to warm up the car for church, I went to scrape the window and found that I couldn't because the ice was on the INSIDE of the car! I never thought I'd be scraping the inside of the windshield. Only on a mission...:D. After church, we went home to layer up for the night. Below you will find a picture of all of the layers I wore as we contacted.

Okay, so here is a summary of my layers: 1 baselayer of underclothing and 1 layer thermals (both not pictured), wool tights, black thermal leggings, sweat pants (good thing I have a big skirt!), a slip, a skirt, thermal top, green sweater (when it's this cold outside, you don't care about matching!), scarf #1, black fuzzy hoodie, knitted scarf #2, winter coat with hood, wool socks, 2 pair gloves, mittens, and my huge boots. Fun, eh?

It was -18 degrees C (-3.9 F) with a -33 degree C windchill. This means that outside, it felt as if it was -27.4 degrees F! I have never even stepped into weather this cold in my life. I think my eyeballs were about to freeze.

There was hardly anyone outside, but the last contact of the night made it all worth it. We contacted a man at a bus stop (he may or may not have been intoxicated). He talked with us for a minute and when his bus came, he grabbed us to hug us at the same time and tried to kiss our cheeks. All I have to say is that I am so grateful I had three hats/hoods on so his face got nowhere near mine. We laughed the whole way home.

Okay, now I must wrap my whole week up into a few minutes. Hmm...where to start...Well, I am training!
I met Sister Brack on Monday at the mission home. We had dinner and a testimony meeting. We slept at our Brampton apartment and headed back to the mission home for training meetings the rest of the morning. We all ate lunch at the Mandarin (huge, delicious, gourmet buffet). Sister Brack is from a small town in England called Haltwhistle, right next to the Scotland border. I feel like she came out of the movies! She says the funniest things and we have different names for almost everything. We have had some great laughs already. We met a boy named Robin who we are teaching right now. He is from India. He is willing to read the Book of Mormon, pray, come to church, and be baptized. The catch is that he won't do anything that doesn't make logical sense. He doesn't believe in faith or that we have spirits. He wants to see the evidence. He is willing to read, pray, and attend church for now. As long as he does those things with a sincere heart and with real intent, he will develop the faith he needs to have the witness from the Holy Ghost. It's a promise from the Lord. We will meet with him again tomorrow.

I got to see Neniker and Sandra!!!!! I showed up to Neniker's house for the appointment the Elders had set with him and he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw us. He was so happy. I was so happy to see him as well. He is doing SO well. He has been to the temple to do baptisms, he passes the sacrament, he has a calling, and he is continuing to learn! Sandra is doing extremely well too. She testified to Robin and I felt like I should just give her my missionary tag. The Holy Ghost speaks through her and she has so much knowledge already. She is still teaching the french Gospel Principles class! I'm so proud of them both. Well, my time is about up, but I pray that you all have a wonderful week! Be grateful for the warmth that you have haha. I am so grateful to be here. I know that our Savior lives. He is real. Heavenly Father LOVES us! I love Him.

Love,

Sister Barton :)

December 13, 2010.

Happy Winter Weather!

It's freezing here! Well, actually, below freezing! Today we have reached the low of the season in Brampton. It's -12 degrees C, which is about 10 degrees F, but walking around in the middle of the day, it is very cold! We drove home last night from the church in Etobicoke (about 30 minutes away from home) and the roads were so bad! We prayed and drove carefully. Luckily, much of missionary work is walking!

Neniker was confirmed yesterday! He is so great. I wrote down notes while he was receiving his blessing and gave them to him. After church, he also received the Aaronic priesthood! Sister Stanbrough, Sister Cheng, and I ran all around the church trying to find him so we could be there and when we finally found the room he was in, we looked in the window of the door and he was already being ordained :(. It's okay though. He was glowing when he came out. He came up to me and asked if I wanted him to baptize me with a big grin on his face, because he now has the priesthood power and authority of God to do so. I laughed pretty hard. He is very funny.

Last night was the big Mississauga Stake Fireside and I was so privileged to be a part of. It was recorded, so I am looking forward to watching it someday. It was wonderful. The whole fireside was musical numbers about the Savior and about Christmas. We ended with "O Holy Night" where I stood in the front with a microphone and did a solo for much of the song. I was laughing so hard after because one of the elders from the Toronto East Mission had me autograph his program for real. Everyone was asking me if I was professionally trained. Maybe being on a mission makes my voice better or something hahaha. It's the Spirit. It was a wonderful memory I will never forget. It's pretty rare to get that kind of opportunity on a mission, so I am very grateful.

The big news of the week is that transfer calls were yesterday and guess what?!?! First of all, Sister Cheng is going to her trainer, Sister Brandley (one of my MTC comps), in Burlington, but everyone here basically already knew that. And...Sister Stanbrough and I are moving to Kitchener YSA to triple with Sister Rigby! I have known about this for a week but haven't been allowed to tell anyone because President accidentally told me where we were going. Brampton YSA will be covered by the assistants to the president for the next five weeks until the next transfer, when two new sisters will be coming out, one from England and one from Zambia! Crazy, eh? I am excited. There is another sister coming out from Washington around February and another one from China in April.


Sister Cheng has been with us all week. She is from Hong Kong and graduated from BYU Hawaii just recently. She sort of knows English, but I don't understand lots of what she says hahaha. It is nice to have some reminders of things we learned at the MTC since she is so new. But yes, Kitchener will be super great. I'm excited to serve with Sister Rigby and to have Christmas there! All letters for this transfer can still be sent to the mission office, since I don't know how long I will be in Kitchener.

Well, that's about all I have today. I attached a picture we took at sports this morning with the Elders we play with each Monday morning. We just got some mission shirts made for each of us and they're awesome, especially the back, which says at the top "Wear the badge, hit the pavement!" Then has CTWM in grafitti lettering.


I also attached a picture of us with two of the elders from the Toronto East mission that we have been working with for the past transfer because they are in our ward. We've become great friends.

Have a wonderful week everyone! Be safe, don't freeze, and always remember the glorious birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. If not for Him, we would be lost forever. Think of Him as you prepare to celebrate his birth, life, and resurrection :) I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

December 6, 2010.

Week of MIRACLES!!!!!!!

I already know I don't have enough time to write everything I want to say, but I will just go for it! We started off the week with District Meeting, where I always learn so much from the Spirit. I am reminded of how I can be a better missionary and set new goals for how to apply the teachings. The picture here is only part of my district, but the senior couple wasn't able to go.

NENIKER GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!! The baptism was SO amazing.

Neniker truly was prepared by Heavenly Father for this wonderful time in his life. Sister Stanbrough and I taught him almost everyday last week and often times just felt like we were shoving information into his brain. His interview was Saturday and he was baptized after church yesterday. The service went really well and I sang "O Come All Ye Faithful" with a few other people (Neniker requested it and it gave me a pretty good laugh because it is a Christmas song :D). I realized that I have sung at 4 baptisms so far since being in Brampton and I have been asked to sing a musical number for our church Christmas program in two weeks! I am so grateful that music has been a big part of my mission. There is more on that later in my e-mail. Back to Neniker. He is so great. The ward has really fellowshipped him lately. He sill be done with high school in January. He seems to have something in common with most of the ward members, whether is is break dancing, graphic design, etc. He is very happy and his spirit touches my heart. He has lots more to learn, but he has shown his faith by taking this step onto the path back to our Heavenly Father. It is just beginning for him. I like how the counselor in the bishopric put it when he welcomed Neniker into the ward. He said that for Neniker's whole life, he has been on a journey, and now he is on the path to eternal life! He will now prepare to receive the Aaronic Priesthood. I have felt the truthfulness of the scripture about the sons of Mosiah found in Mosiah 28:3 which says: "Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." My heart is full this week because of Neniker :) He also came to the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, which was so good!

Another miracle of the week started after our lesson with Neniker on Friday night. I checked our voicemail on the way home and we had a message but no return phone number. A girl called, saying timidly "Hello, I found your card on the bus with your number on it. I felt like I should call. I need you to pray for me. I just came to this country from Jamaica and I am a Christian. It is really hard here and I don't know what to do. I just walked onto the bus and found your card, so it must be fate. I was hoping you would answer. I can't leave you this number, but I will call back another time." !!!!!!!! We had our whole district praying for us that she would call us back because we had no way to contact her. Saturday night, the phone rang and said "Private No." I picked it up and immediately knew it was her. I asked if she was the girl that left the message the night before and she started bawling in the phone. Her name is Michelle and she is here in Canada with her daughter, Kimberly. She is having a really hard time, but I'm not sure with what yet. I told her we have been praying for her and she started crying more. I told her we prayed that she would call us back and that we want to help her. I said we would love to meet her somewhere. She couldn't leave us that phone number, but she said she would call back today, Monday, sometime in the afternoon from school. My heart goes out to her. I know that the Gospel will heal her from whatever she went through or is going through now. The Savior heals all who will come unto Him in faith. I am looking forward to her phone call today.

Next week I have the privilege and blessing of being part of a stake choir for a Christmas fireside. I had to get special permission from my mission president because it is for the Mississauga stake, which is in the east mission (remember, half of my ward is made up of the east mission and half of it is the west mission). I have a few solo parts and will be soloing in the finale of "O Holy Night." I was SO happy to get President's approval because I know how stressful programs to be, especially when half the choir doesn't show up until the day of the performance. I am so grateful for wholesome music which allows us to feel of Heavenly Father's love for us even more. This will be a wonderful program and I feel blessed to be able to serve.

Last, but definitely NOT least.....I found out this morning that I will be mini-TRAINING!!!!! Sister Chang, from Hong Kong flies in today! Transfers are not until next week, so until then, Sister Stanbrough and I will be training Sister Chang for this week! I don't know much about her, other than the fact that she doesn't really have the support of her family and must have an amazing testimony. I am so excited to meet today as we will have dinner at President Brower's house :) There are also three new elders from Ireland, Brazil, and and Utah! Lots of diversity coming in! This week is going to be full of fun, serving my companions, hard work, and miracles! I know there are more people prepared and ready, like Neniker. Well, transfers are next week and it is a huge mystery on what is going to happen to all of the sisters. Sister Chang could leave somewhere else after the week, or she could stay and I could train her, or I could leave, or....anything! You are all wonderful! Thank you! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

(Before)

(After)

November 29, 2010.

Hello Loved Ones!

How was everyone's Thanksgiving? I hope everyone was safe and felt the joyful spirit of gratitude. I heard that there was a big storm in Utah. Right now I am grateful to be here in Canada where it hasn't even really snowed yet! Haha. Ironic. It snowed once this week but it didn't stay. It is very cold though. I'm pretty sure snow would make it warmer.



I feel a bit scattered because this morning after sports with the Elders, I left my planner at the church. I am never without it and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. Most of you probably know this about me - I am a very organized person. I usually write down
notes of what I am going to e-mail about, but since I don't have any, I will just write my thoughts, which is just as good!

Sister Stanbrough and I worked extra hard this week. We weren't really seeing much success, but our biggest miracle overrules all anyway haha. We taught Neniker on Friday night. We taught him about the first part of the Plan of Salvation. He already understood a bit of it from church last week. The best part of the lesson was at the end when I set him for BAPTISM! Wahoo! He has a baptismal date for THIS Sunday, December 5th. He is so amazing. He came to church yesterday and dressed up all nice for it. He has such a great spirit that is so friendly and warm. He smiles a lot. I think I said it in my last e-mail, but he is from St. Lucia. I forgot what language they speak. A ward member here said that they speak a language that is a mix of other languages. I'm not sure. I told him that when he is
baptized, he will be able to feel the Spirit and Heavenly Father's love for him. He said that would be neat because he was baptized as a baby and doesn't remember it at all. We have a lot more to teach him, but I know he will be ready. The situation is comparable to D&C 4
which says that "if ye have desires to serve, ye are called to the work." If ye have desires to come closer to Heavenly Father, ye are called to be baptized! Hey, it works! I love the scriptures. They are gems that I will always treasure!

Today is the last time I will see Sandra for a while because she is going to Mauritius to visit family for the month of December. She found a church there and will attend while she is gone. Get this - she got baptized three Sundays ago and the bishop is calling her to be
a co-teacher of our new french Gospel Principles class! Ha! She is so incredible. The class is mostly for a recent convert, Cesar (baptized two weeks before Sandra) who speaks mostly french and isn't learning much in the english class. Sandra will do very well as she works with another ward member who speaks french. We don't even have to sit with her anymore during church because she is friends with the whole ward already! I love her.

One of the highlights of my week was receiving a Christmas package from my brother and sister-in-law. The box was decorated all cute and said that I could open it on American Thanksgiving.



Thursday finally came and when I opened it, I thought I had died and gone to heaven!
There are lots of little wrapped presents inside with instructions on each one for when to open it. I was able to open two the day after Thanksgiving and again...died and went to heaven. One of the presents was a little stand-up felt Christmas tree with homemade ornaments that have pictures of my family on them.



Leave it to Sarah to be the most creative person in the world! I love my Christmas tree and my little stocking that used to be full of candy, but I ate it all! I am excited to open the rest of the presents, some which say "Sing 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' and open on a snowy night in December" and "Open when in a gift and goodie giving mood." I love Christmas! Does
anyone have any fun plans for Christmas? Do tell! :)

I hope you have all had a wonderful week. I love you and am grateful for your love and support. This is the true Church with the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and with God's power and authority again on the earth. How blessed we are to be a part of it.

Love,
Sister Barton :)

November 22, 2010.

Happy American Thanksgiving Week!

Since I already had Thanksgiving here, I had to remind myself of when all of you have it there in America. I hope you all have fun plans and that you have a greater attitude of gratitude during this time of year. The lights are going up around the city of Brampton here and I am getting excited for Christmas. I realized a couple of days ago that I get to call both of my homes on Christmas and I was so happy. I am definitely looking forward to it.

This week seemed pretty un-interesting until about yesterday. First of all, Sandra was confirmed and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost in Church, which is the greatest gift in the world, so that was great. She is amazing. She speaks French and she translates in Sunday School for the boy that got baptized two weeks before her. He is from the Congo and when the elders taught him, they had a translater. Now Sandra tells him everything and she already knows so much about the Gospel. She loves her scriptures and reads a lot. We didn't have any investigators come to church because at the time we didn't really have any!

We taught a lesson last night to a boy named Jay who the previous sisters had taught a couple of times. He's not really an investigator though because I'm not really sure if he is actively seeking the truth. Anyway, we met him at Tim Hortons (the coffee shop here...yes, It's weird to teach in a coffee shop when we don't drink coffee, but it's basically just a fast food place haha). He had a friend named Loren with him. We ended up focusing more on Loren and gave him a Book of Mormon. We set up return appointments with each of them on different days. After the lesson, I checked our voicemail and the bishop had called us. He said that he had spoken to a bishop of another Brampton ward who said that there was an 18-year-old investigator who attended church. He was wondering why the investigator didn't attend the YSA ward or why the sisters aren't teaching him. The investigator is a boy named Neniker who Sister Stanbrough and I met last week. We taught him a couple of times and then passed him off to some elders because he is still in high school. It turns out that the bishops think it best for him to go to the YSA ward. Anyway...lots of details and maybe confusing, but long story short, we called the elders and took Neniker back hahaha. Woops! I felt bad, but I just really want to do what is best for Neniker. He is from St. Lucia and has been in Canada for two years. He attended all of church yesterday and also a baptism that was held after church! I am excited to teach him again this week.

I got a letter this week from Jenn, who got baptized in North Bay. She is amazing! I love the eternal frienships that are formed on missions. We will be great friends when I get home. Well, I hope all of you have a great week! Enjoy a yummy Thanksgiving dinner :) I am so grateful for each of you. I am grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is why I am who I am today. The Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored, as it has been multiple times throughout time. It is the ONLY way to have lasting happiness and to be with our families forever. How grateful I am for that gift. I love my family - every single person. I have been blessed with a lot of family and they all brighten my life. Thanksgiving is a great way to start of the Christmas season! I love you all :)

Love,

Sister Barton :)

November 16, 2010.

Happy Tuesday!

I just wrote part of my e-mail and it got deleted...gotta love computers :) Today is a great day. Don't you just love when you wake up happy, even at 5:15 in the morning? Sister Stanbrough and I got up early and went to the church to play soccer with all of the Elders. It was so much fun. Boys are very funny. I was laughing the whole time. Next week we are going to play volleyball, which I love. I feel that there is so much to tell and not enough time to tell it. I will do my best :)

Sandra got BAPTIZED on Sunday! It was so amazing. First of all, church was so great. Isaac, one of our investigators came to the ward for the first time and he learned so much. The Gospel Principles class was all about the Pre-Earth Life, which we haven't taught him yet. It was so great to spend a whole hour talking about who we are as children of God and to build that foundation for the rest of the Plan of Salvation. It was amazing. Sandra's baptism started after church was over. I sang an arrangement of "Come Ye Disconsolate" just before she was baptized and the Spirit was strong. As Sandra was getting dressed after she was baptized, she said that she felt like a new person. When we are baptized and when we take the sacrament each week, we really are starting over fresh and can repent of the things we did or failed to do before. This principle is essential. Sandra and Isaac both came to Family Home Evening (they should really change the name since we're in a Young Single Adult ward haha) last night where we watched an incredible movie on the life of President Thomas S. Monson, the current prophet. It's called "On the Lord's Errand," and if any of you haven't seen it, I highly suggest it. Our prophet really was called of God and was prepared throughout his life to serve as the leader of Christ's Church. How grateful I am for him!

Yesterday I had my first Zone Conference in the Brampton Zone and it was so great. All of the missionaries there truly were taught from on high. I learned so much about improving myself as a missionary and ultimately as a person. At first we talked about obedience. I love how my mission president said "80% Obedience does NOT equal 80% power!" It is so true. If we are mostly obedient, we don't necessarily have the Spirit with us most of the time. Christ has commanded us to be "perfect," and knowing that we would not be able to on our own, He atoned for those imperfections, IF and only if we come unto Him. I am going to strive this week to be exactly obedient. My mission president also emphasizes how "fun" it is to be obedient haha. I was reminded of what Sister Evanson and I wrote on our whiteboard in North Bay. We said "Obedience = Fun." It was kind of a joke, but it really is true. Life is SO much more rewarding when we follow Father's plan. It's a fact!

Well, I love you all! I am thankful for you. Strive to be obedient. Pray always. Serve your brothers and sisters. As Moroni says to his son Mormon in Moroni 8:3: "I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of His Holy Child, Jesus, that He, through His infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on His name to the end." I pray for you. I love you. Your Father in Heaven loves you. Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Barton :)

November 8, 2010.

I survived my second week in Brampton!

It's been a great week. Sister Stanbrough taught lots of lessons and were able to find many new people to teach for this coming week. The best part of this coming week is knowing that on Sunday, Sandra will be BAPTIZED! Wahoo! She is so amazing. She even told us in a lesson earlier this week that she can see in her life how Heavenly Father has been preparing her to know the fullness of His truth. She loves coming to church and the ward has been really great at fellowshipping her. She is so sweet and always gives us treats at the end of our lessons. I'm excited to send pictures of her baptism next week.

We had a couple of lessons with a boy named Gideon. The first lesson was pretty rough because he was trying to prove us wrong using the Bible. In the second lesson, something amazing happened. Although Gideon would come up with a new question each time we would anser the previous one, he could not confound us. We spent the whole lesson testifying of truth. This isn't just a Gospel or a Plan of Salvation that we teach, it is something we know to be true. Nobody can deny the power of the Holy Ghost. I love Galations 5:22-23, which talks about the fruits of the Spirit, such as love, peace, long-suffering, joy, gentleness, etc. I don't have my Bible with me right now, but the last line of these verses says "Against such there is no law." There is no law on earth that can prevent one from feeling the Holy Ghost. Even in a country where there is no religious freedom, if one seeks God, they can find Him. No one can ever tell me that what I know is not true. I have felt it. I know it. I cannot deny it. The Holy Ghost can teach us all things if we will allow Him to. That is the key!

I read a really great talk that Sister Stanbrough has called "Why 1820?" It talks about why the Church of Jesus Christ began to be restored in the year 1820 and not before. I really love what the speaker said at the end of the talk, speaking about who we were before we came to this earth. He said "If you knew who you were before you got here, it would scare you. Do you know what that means? It means that we don't have the right to do all the dumb stuff that a lot of other young people in the world are doing? Why? Because we know too much. Why? Because we are here because we were somebody before we came here and the Lord has sent us here to accomplish some great task. And that task is to take and exhort the reality of the fact that the Gospel has been restored." We did not begin when we were born on this earth. We lived with Heavenly Father before and because we are His children, we have divine worth. You were somebody great among the hosts of heaven and because of that, You have a great responsibility on this earth. I cannot imagine what life would be like without the knowledge of the greater plan. That is why I am on a mission...to help people know who they truly are in God's eyes and the divine potential they have.

I feel like I have rambled on and on haha. These are just my thoughts of the week. Thank you for being the good people you are. You are all amazing! Have a fantastic week :)

Love you lots,
Sister Barton

P.S. Since I have Zone Conference next Monday, I won't be e-mailing until Tuesday, so look for my update then!

November 1, 2010.

Hello from the big city of Brampton!

Wow, what a week so far. White-washing an area is definitely a lot of work! Sister Stanbrough and I have hardly had time to make phone calls with everything we have to do. I'm not quite sure where to start, so I will just talk about our investigator Sandra first. The sisters before us were teaching Sandra for a few weeks. She is from an island in the Indian Ocean (starts with an M...don't know how to spell it). Sister Stanbrough and I have met with her twice and she came to church yesterday! She has a baptismal date for November 14! She is so great. She often worries and wonders if she should know more before making this big step. I assured her that Heavenly Father is pleased with her decision. It is a step of faith, but she will only gain a testimony of it if she takes it. I am excited to keep teaching her. We will see her again on Wednesday.

It was nice going to my ward for the first time. It is a unique ward because it is actually made up of two different cities, covering about a 45 minute area. There are two missionaries from the Toronto East mission that cover the Toronto side of the ward, and Sister S and I cover the Brampton side. So we travel out of our area for church! Yesterday after church, there were two baptisms for the East mission and I was so happy Sandra could attend. I sang with a few other people and we didn't even have time to practice! Then Sister S and I did a little presentation and shared our testimonies while the two people who got baptized were changing. It was a pretty hectic day. We got home a little before 6:00 pm and had to stay in the rest of the night because it was Halloween. Sister S carved a pumpkin and we ate a lot of candy. We have a whole pecan pie in the fridge that the senior couple missionaries gave us!

Something happens to me when I am in Brampton. All of the sudden, I am able to talk to everyone I see with no fear and the Spirit tells me what to say. It is really amazing. Heavenly Father is helping me to see how I have improved since I came out here. There are always challenges though and I will continue to learn each day. One of the hardest things right now is just that Sister S and I don't know anyone. We are learning the streets, but we don't know most of the members or the investigators right now. There is lots to learn here!

I was sad to say goodbye to Sister Evanson, but I am happy for her and her new companion. I met the new sister, Sister Hodgkin, when I slept at the mission home on Monday night. She is SO prepared and is already an amazing missionary. I hope to be able to serve with her someday. We really are so lucky to have such amazing sisters in this area.

Hmm...that's about all I can think of to write at the moment. My brain is still scattered and I can't exactly think straight yet haha. One funny thing happened on Saturday night. Our ward mission leader had called us earlier this week and told us that when we meet with him he usually feeds us (we meet at his fiance's house). He said he had to work on Saturday so we decided to meet at 7:30 pm. Well, I figured that since we were meeting so late, Sister S. and I should probably eat dinner. We went out to eat and filled up. When we got to the house for our meeting, there was a whole dinner on the table. I guess 7:30 pm isn't too late for dinner! So...I ate a whole other meal and could barely get it down. I know I eat a lot, but I was not prepared for that! Haha. Only on a mission...

Well, I hope you are all doing well! I can hardly believe it is already November. Christmas is almost here! I hear it's the greatest to have Christmas on a mission. It's a great season to celebrate even more fully the life of the Savior. Lately, I have been thinking a lot about Helaman 5:12, which talks about building our foundations on Jesus Christ. When everything else in life fails us, He will not. He is the way. The only way. I want to focus on always remembering Him this week. I love you all! Thank you for your support and for your love. It is so great to hear from many of you and I always look forward to it. Heavenly Father loves you :)

Love,

Sister Barton